


In search of Kevin's boyfriend

by mm_nani



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M, The someone is like legit way too obvious, but i still wanted to keep an air of mystery, the kevin setup fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 10:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15816732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mm_nani/pseuds/mm_nani
Summary: John is a meddling housewife who only wants to see his single friend, Kevin DeBruyne in a loving relationship.





	In search of Kevin's boyfriend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MidnightFragments](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightFragments/gifts).



> Hello this is part of my ongoing Complete a WIP Exchange. The Kevin Set-Up fic is what I promised Adi in August!

‘You know-’

 

And this is how it always starts. John says something dumb and Kyle, the besotten idiot is nodding and encouraging him even before the ill-thought out idea can fully form in John’s head.

 

‘-you know, Kevin needs someone.’

 

When no one protests, Raheem has to step in, ‘Define need.’ He asks skeptically, John is just chock full of bad ideas.

 

‘To hold and to love.’ John says and he’s looking at Kyle in the stupidest, sappiest way as he does. They’re sitting on two different sofas and John looks like he’s pained to no end. Maybe Raheem would realize how stupid John’s suggestion was if his own head wasn’t cradled in Leroy’s lap. Leroy was happily dozing, free of aiding and abetting this nonsense, and Raheem was filled with such a profound sense of affection for him that he ended up thinking, ‘ _yes, kevin does need someone to love and to hold._ ’

 

It doesn’t help that all of them are out on some weird quadruple date that Raheem was sure was going to end up in some sort of orgy until Phil and Brahim showed up and they’re just sloshed and clothed in Kyle’s house instead and John is spewing bullshit that Raheem is agreeing to.

 

Bernardo, who Raheem was _sure_ was passed out - but Raheem apparently knows nothing anymore- chimes in, ‘I think Gabby likes him.’

 

‘Gabby likes everyone.’ He wasn’t sure who says this but Raheem is wont to agree, Gabby _does_ love everyone.

 

‘What if all that teasing with Aleks is just flirting.’ Someone else chimes in and Raheem has to put his foot down before his teammates try to set Kevin up with _Oleksandr._

 

‘Gabby, Gabby it is.’ He croaks and the jerk in his movement from the sheer enthusiasm of steering the conversation away from Aleks wakes Leroy up. Raheem shushes him and soothes him back to sleep, glad to have done the world a favor.

 

The thing is Raheem isn’t sure that the teasing _isn’t_ covert flirting and Kevin and Aleks dating is just something he’s not willing to risk.

 

*

 

‘So, Gabby.’ John corners Raheem after training and any hope Raheem had of last night being drunk blubbering leaves him in a painfully slow dawn of realization that they were going to do this.

 

They were going to set Kevin up with Gabby.

 

‘I know you have an elaborate plan already so just tell me what I have to do.’  And John smiles self satisfied, as though he’s glad he didn’t have to waste energy wheedling.

 

‘You just invite Kevin out to bowling.’

 

Raheem groans, ‘he’ll probably have some stupid condition like I’ll come only if you complete 5 nutmegs today.’ But John is already walking away, not risking being faced with any newfound objections to his plans.

 

‘Then do it!’ He yells out.

 

*

Bowling, turns out to have been an actually good idea. Not that anyone should tell John that. But judging from his face, John is already abundantly aware about what a smashing success this evening was.

 

They bowl in teams and everyone immediately picks their boyfriends, leaving Kevin and Gabby to team up. Gabby is a touchy sort and Kevin is a good bowler. Essentially Gabby has spent most of the evening somewhere in the vicinity of Kevin’s arms, either jumping into it when Kevin scores points or climbing onto him in celebration whenever Gabby does something remotely not embarrassing and Kevin is cheering from the seats behind the lanes.

 

Right now, they’re sitting pressed into each other, sharing a pretzel and they’re actually indistinguishable from John and Kyle who are doing the same.

 

Well, Kyle might be more _feeding_ John a pretzel than sharing it, but it’s within the same umbrella idea of _closeness._

 

In fact, the only team not cuddling is him and Leroy, who is pissed at him for losing.

 

*

 

Whatever Kevin has with Gabby lasts a week.

 

At least, they figure out that whatever Kevin has with Gabby isn’t romance within the week.

 

There’s no noticeable change in Kevin or Gabby or their friendship, there’s the occasional cuddle, mostly initiated by Gabby. As with most interactions with Kevin, he’s the somewhat willing receptacle to people’s affections.

 

But definitely within the week John is cranky and he’s staring at the pictures of the senior team roster on the cafeteria wall with great concentration.

 

John walks away with a new determined look on his face.

 

*

 

‘Danilo?’ Leroy asks and he attempts to sound incredulous but he’s mumbling sleepily into Raheem’s shoulder, drooling only very slightly.

 

‘Yeah I think John wants to set him up with Danilo.’

 

Leroy chuckles, the sound slow and labored, like he’s already dreaming, ‘-Spicy’

 

‘Did you just say spicy? Did you just call Danilo spicy? He’s the blandest Brazilian I’ve ever met.’

 

‘But still Brazilian.’ Leroy has to be 80% asleep by now,his words are barely coherent, ‘Kevin’s a bland white boy.’

 

Raheem has a flash of Gabby or Danilo having to eat grilled chicken without salt and boiled potatoes every night with Kevin and suddenly, Leroy seems to have a point.

 

*

 

Raheem intercepts John before he can plant a letter in Danilo’s locker and says, ‘How about Joe?’

 

‘What, all the way in West Ham?’

 

‘Maybe Kevin doesn’t want to date someone he works with everyday.’

 

John’s face slowly unfurls like he’s getting inspired by Raheem’s suggestion and stuffs the letter back into his pocket.

 

*

 

Kyle, the besotten, _besotten_ idiot offers to host the barbecue.

 

It’s actually really fun, they haven’t seen Joe in a while and there are some Spurs and United players around. Raheem scans the outside crowd for some prospects, files away Rom, Mousa and Kieran for later.

 

John is whispering in a corner with Jesse.

 

Last year, that scene wouldn’t have concerned Raheem because the entirety of the England squad had at some point been recruited to help Jesse woo Marcus. But now with Marcus securely and definitely dating Jesse with their not so covert matching wristbands, Raheem is definitely  concerned. Because this means that suddenly Kevin’s love life will become pillow talk for Marcus and Jesse or even worse- the United dressing room in general.

 

He wants to warn John to be more discreet because if Kevin ever finds out, all their heads will roll. He doesn’t put it below Kevin to rat out their diet deviations to Pep in revenge and then they’ll _really_ get murdered.

 

But before he can stop John from putting all their lives in danger, Jesse is walking towards Joe, slowly stretching to lean over Joe with a hand on the back of his chaise. They talk for awhile and Joe’s got his grilled chicken in hand, happily munching away as Jesse is animatedly telling some story.

 

After a few minutes, somehow Kevin is there too, now sitting at the foot of Joe’s chaise with his own plate of grilled chicken, the three of them happily chatting away. The very sight of Joe and Kevin’s bland looking plates makes Raheem want to douse himself in hot sauce.

 

He bumps into Eden Hazard on the way to the buffet and has to do a double take. None of them are all that particularly friendly with Chelsea players but then Vinnie has his hand wrapped warmly around Eden’s bicep and Raheem chalks it up to a Belgium thing.

 

*

 

It’s Leroy, tipsy on three beers and a full day’s training, who leans into Kevin and says, ‘So Kev, what’s your type?’

 

Kevin squints at Leroy, not quite drunk yet and hums. Raheem doesn’t expect an answer but then there’s a quiet, ‘small’ that comes out of Kevin’s mouth punctuated with a forced back smile.

 

‘And cute, sometimes gets too excited but in private gentle’ Kevin licks his lips and a full smile breaks out across his face - maybe he _is_ drunk - he takes another sip of his beer and continues, ‘talks too much but when they laugh, the sound fills the room, the entire universe lights up from the force of that joy’

 

Kevin is staring into his beer now like he’s conjuring up a face.

 

Raheem looks at Leroy whose eyes dart to him at the same moment. Leroy slowly raises an eyebrow.

 

That’s not just a type.

 

That’s a specific _person._

 

*

 

‘It’s got to be David.’ John says, ‘small and cute? Who else is this?’

 

Raheem knows he’s making a face but that’s literally half their squad. John looks at him and figures out what he’s thinking because he adds as though he’s curtailing any derailing thoughts, ‘who else in our squad above twenty years of age is this?’

 

‘Kun.’ Raheem responds to make his point.

 

John rolls his eyes, ‘and not already in a committed relationship with another footballer.’

 

‘Maybe, that’s why Kevin hasn’t done anything because the love of his life’s love is someone else.’

 

‘No.’

 

‘Why not?’

 

‘Because that’s too sad.’ John says as though he’s presenting some hard and fast law of nature.

 

Raheem sighs but he wants to get on with the horrendous planning already so he can start devising the emotional recovery phase. The Joe Hart debacle had earned him a nice massage from his concerned, loving boyfriend and it had made it almost worth it.

 

*

 

Like the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, once they’ve pinpointed David as Kevin’s crush its impossible to unsee.

 

David on the pitch?

 

Kevin is complimenting him.

 

David in the lunchroom?

 

Kevin’s right there handing him a glass of water or his extra napkins because David forgot to grab his own.

 

David needs a lift?

 

Kevin is offering.

 

It seems that David only needs to exist and Kevin is instantly a ball of soft love and appreciation, goofy, toothy smile ready to be flashed, hands ready to cradle his recently bald head.

 

*

‘Listen, it looks like they have it figured out.’

 

‘You’re kidding, right? Kevin is too chickenshit to do anything. He’s probably been flirting with David for _years._ ’  

 

This is a running theme but when John gets into something, he’s more or less possessed by it. The same youtube compilation of Kevin and David partnerships has been playing for the last half hour on Kyle’s wall.

 

Leroy has long since left them and is doing lunges out in the hallway.

 

‘ _Fuck_ just look at Kev’s face, that’s from his first fucking season.’ Is- is John _crying_? And the next time he speaks, true to Raheem’s suspicions his voice quavers, ‘how long has Kevin suffered like this?’

 

‘Have you-’ Raheem has gotten better at standing up to John’s whimsies over this ordeal of finding Kevin a lover but it still makes him a little nervous, certainly it’s a bit of a stretch for Kyle to call up his Spurs contacts to come beat him up... _right?_ ‘-have you considered that perhaps this is what works for them the best?’

 

John pauses the video and by the will of John’s insanity it has landed right on a shot where Kevin is very sappily staring at David. John looks self righteously at the projection on the wall, ‘do you think _this_ is better than Kevin and David being together.’

 

Raheem bites back the urge to say ‘no sir’ guiltily.

 

John sighs with a dramatic shake of his head, ‘Raheem if your heart isn’t in it, I’ll just have to get a more dedicated sidekick.’ John looks at Kyle who wordlessly nods and picks up his phone, scrolling through his contacts without a second’s delay.

 

‘Hello, Ben?’

 

*

It all comes to some sort of head during the Chelsea match. Raheem has been absolutely shut out of the planning of this but there was a lot of furious whispering going on after training for the last few weeks. He tried to be disapproving from afar.

 

Ben is just on that side of injury where his presence in the stadium on a match day is not suspicious but no one expects him to do anything at all, so his suspicious moving about is suspicious to absolutely no one but Raheem.

 

Raheem is in the same predicament, so he follows Ben around as discreetly as he can.

 

Leroy grabs him an hour before kick off, ‘stop acting dodgy, mate.’ he says and Raheem splutters indignantly, ‘I am _not_ dodgy, I am here to _support-_

 

‘-yeah, yeah.’ Leroy says and uses Raheem’s distraction to quickly kiss him, catching him on the corner of his lips.

 

‘Bruv!’ Raheem exclaims.

 

Leroy sticks out his tongue in response, ‘go take a seat like a normal person or help Victoria out backstage.’

 

Raheem narrows his eyes, ‘John put you up to this, so I wouldn’t meddle!’

 

‘Seriously Raz, you’re way too paranoid.’ Leroy says, pushing him out of the locker room, just as Ben slips in.

 

‘You’re working for John!’ He exclaims again but Leroy only rolls his eyes and has him squarely outside the locker room before shutting the door. It’s not locked but Raheem feels too jilted to try to go back inside.

 

If even Leroy is in on this then maybe this is not going to end terribly.

 

*

 

John is over the moon, David gets an assist. Kevin looks stupidly proud and everyone is in general buzzing about their two Silvas to notice any scheming going on. Raheem notices Ben talking to Kevin and then Kevin slipping out, heading towards the away locker room.

 

When the celebrations die down some odd twenty minutes later, Kevin is still nowhere to be found and Ben has spent almost all of it texting, but he’s always on his phone so its hard to tell what he’s _really_ up to. David also slips out then and Raheem is too focused on Ben to really know why or even catch which direction he’s headed.

 

Both Kevin and David come back in the next 15 minutes, Kevin looking decisively rumpled and out of breath, not unlike right after a match ends but too dishevelled to be from a match that ended over half an hour ago. David is blushing and staring right at the floor. They look at each other, seriously like they’re sharing some sort of secret, and part heading to opposite sides of the locker room.

 

John and Kyle share pointed looks.

 

Soon after, Eden Hazard skulks in, looking red and flustered as well, silently heads to Kevin and hands him a shin guard. Kevin smiles as he takes it but doesn’t say anything.

 

Somewhere in the general vicinity of the locker room, Vinnie cackles.

 

*

 

Him and Leroy shouldn’t be doing this in training. But it’s his first day completing a full training without any bumps and the medical staff was nodding very encouragingly when they were chatting to Pep.

 

Leroy is just happy, and truthfully so is he, it feels good knowing they’ll be playing together soon. He’s always just a little bit sharper when Leroy is with him, mostly because Leroy will make fun of him for missing shots and passes if he isn’t.

 

But yes, they’ve found one of the abandoned interview rooms, a small one they use for individual meetings with reporters and are going at it against the wall. The room is empty except for a table and some stacked chairs, but Leroy just wanted a closed door to kiss him inside of. They’ve been careful at home not to do anything extraneous so it’s the first time in a few weeks that Leroy seems uninhibited, pecking at his lips and grinding their hips together in equal fervor. Raheem pushes his hands underneath Leroy’s training shirt and Leroy let’s it go over his head as he’s swiftly getting to his knees.

 

He’s so into Leroy’s mouth around him that he doesn’t even hear the door open until there’s a quiet ‘ _f_ _uck’_ and suddenly him and Leroy are scrambling to get decent as Kevin gapes at them mouth and door both ajar.

 

‘Guys what is this?’ Kevin asks and his shock can only confirm what Raheem has known all along: that the one Kevin has been in love with has been Leroy all along.

 

‘Raz and I are just taking a break.’ Leroy says confidently like he wasn’t just caught with Raheem’s dick in his mouth.

 

‘So you two are together?’ Kevin asks and Raheem can’t help puffing his chest out as he takes Leroy’s hand with a defiant, ‘yes.’ Leroy looks at him like he’s going a little insane.

 

‘Oh my god.’ Kevin says and then, ‘this is amazing, we can now go on double dates.’

 

_double what????_

 

Kevin is about to leave and close the door behind him when Raz stops him, ‘double date with whom Kev?’

 

‘My boyfriend of course.’ And then Kev leaves.

 

Leroy has his eyes opened wide in shock next to him.

 

*

 

They don’t go on a double date but when John hears about Kevin’s boyfriend, he arranges some sort of weird couples retreat. There’s a cabin and everyone is driving and none of them have any idea who Kevin is going to bring.

 

Even Leroy is buzzing with excitement. Because they’re all thinking of the same thing right now:

 

Where _did_ Kevin hide one wholeass boyfriend?

 

John is somewhere between terribly excited and mildly upset, ‘How did we _miss_ that he was dating someone?’

 

‘I bet Kev hides him in his basement, love.’ Kyle says, soothingly rubbing John’s back.

 

They’re all at least an hour early of the meetup time, not wanting to miss the big reveal and Kevin in true Kevin fashion pulls into the driveway at exactly 7:00 pm. Kevin climbs out first and he’s talking into the car to whoever’s in the passenger seat. They’re all trying to subtly peer in through the window.

 

It’s only a second later that Eden Hazard climbs out with a wave and a, ‘what’s up lads?’ It doesn’t quite sink in until Kevin is pulling Eden’s bag off his shoulders with a little kiss and coming towards the cabin, ‘So where do we put our luggage down?’

 

*

 

‘I’m so glad I caught you two.’ Kevin says with a bright smile on his face, his face is still red from when they carried all the logs over for their fire, they’re roasting vegetables and drinking beer, ‘it’s so great to be able to share _this_ with my friends,’ and at the ‘this’ he throws the sappiest look at Eden, that none of them could have been able to come up with, even in their wildest fantasies. Eden looks fondly back, clasps their hands together.

 

Raheem doesn’t know if Kevin’s the stupid one for not having noticed that half the team were dating each other or if they were that they didn’t notice that Kevin was stupidly in love with Eden Hazard.

 

‘The signs were all there.’ Leroy whispers that night when they’re alone in their room, ‘Kevin’s always the happiest right around international break, he loves London, Eden is sometimes hanging about City parties.’

 

There’s a small knock on their door but before either of them could answer it John saunters in with Ben in tow, ‘oh my _God_ , they are absolutely adorable. I’m dying.’

 

None of them have asked how long Kevin and Eden have been together, but they have that vibe that they’ve been together since they’ve known each other but also have the nervousness of a new relationship because this is the first time they’re openly around Kevin’s friends and teammates.

 

‘I’m so happy.’ Raheem says and likes that Leroy runs his fingers down hiss knuckle, like Leroy gets entirely everything that is making him happy.

 

‘So,’ John starts, ‘do you think they’re going to go for an orgy?’

 

Raheem pulls the pillow from under his head and throws it straight at John.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments appreciated!!!


End file.
